


The Path to Freedom is Won through Sacrifice

by SakumiYukime



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, I plan on adding other 5 chapters, I'm a terrible person and I regret absolutely nothing, Self-Sacrifice, because i thought that would be interesting, one for each of the paladins reaction to Keith's sacrifice, tags will be added as chapters are updated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 05:05:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12358071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakumiYukime/pseuds/SakumiYukime
Summary: During the battle to win over planet Naxzela from the galra empire, Keith comes across the realization that everything they had managed to win over the last months could be lost in the blink of an eye.This was the only thing he could do. And he would never regret the choice he made.





	The Path to Freedom is Won through Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hellisterxx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellisterxx/gifts).



“Follow my lead!” Keith shouted between gritted teeth, “We’ve gotta break through that shield!”

He didn’t know exactly what had happened to Shiro and the others when he lost communication with them. He didn’t know exactly what was happening right now. But Shiro’s words, when he asked if things were alright, were still ringing in his mind.

 

_“Not for long if we don’t stop Zarkon’s witch. She must be aboard that battlecruiser.”_

 

A blast of light hit, striking the left wing of his ship directly. The impact was strong and lasted long enough to drag a painful groan out of his throat. A wave of surprised mixed with the realization took shape on his face. That hit might have been enough to damage the ship permanently. He knew it for sure when the sound of the alarm started to ring through his ears.

His heartbeat picked up the pace, perfectly matching his nerves. The strong grip on the controls of the ship was the only thing stopping his hands from shaking.

He knew he was sweating. He could barely breathe as he looked outside the galra ship, eyes widen in panic, yet a trail of determination painted over his features.

The rebels were hitting that quiznacking shield with everything they had and the galra force field thing wouldn’t even bunch.

Their firepower wasn’t enough. And they were running out of time.

Every tick they took to figure out a way to break those shields, was one tick closer they got to the end.

And not just their end. There was much more than their lives at stake in that moment.

Keith hadn’t been completely able to figure out what was happening exactly, apart from the fact that he needed to take Haggar down. He had heard bits and pieces through the coms. Something about a bomb. Shiro warning Coran and ordering him to gather as many members of the coalition he could. Ordering him to leave. Immediately.

He had already been in enough situations like this one to know _exactly_ what was happening.

He knew Lance well enough to pick up the distress in his voice when he talked over the coms, most likely unaware he was listening.

Keith's porcelain skin went paler,  _They were not gonna make it._

All of them.

Keith knew. He can pick it in the soft fragilities from Shiro’s voice. He can hear it in his head, playing in a sick reminder that he couldn’t shake off. The explosion would be big enough to wipe them all.

The rebels.

The blades.

The coalition.

Voltron.

Everyone gathered to stand against the galra could be lost in a blink of an eye.

But what bothered him the most wasn’t that.

He knew that, with all their deaths', something much more important would be lost to the galra. Their symbol. What Voltron means to the people. Freedom. Hope.

Allowing the galra to take _them all down_ would mean thousands and thousands of people throughout the universe losing their hope and will to fight. People that had decided to stand up and attack the empire realizing that it was impossible to fight back and win. Everything that had taken so much time and work to build in other to stand against the empire would come crumbling down. All the trust and hope that was strengthened by their existence alone would be completely wiped out in a moment.

Keith knew he had to do something. He couldn't allow everything they had managed to build at the cost of so many lives to be lost in a tick.

This wasn’t just about the people that would die from the blast, this was about all the ones that would be affected by the after wave that would follow. Losing Voltron meant sacrificing the hope and freedom of thousands across the galaxies.

It meant sacrificing the whole universe.

He didn’t dare to lose his grip on the controls of the ship. Yet, his head sunk low.

 

_The mission before the individual._

 

He would be lying if he said that the sacrificial thought that crossed his mind in that moment only had to do with the mission. Keith had six people out there that he would never want to see hurt. A family. He finally had one and he wasn’t about to let it go.

_He wasn’t about to let them go._

“We’ll never penetrate those shields!” Matt’s voice rang around him, his face suddenly appearing in a panel, right in front of him.

Despair and determination were the new colors mixed in the purple eyes. Keith gazed forward, right at the shield in front of him. He took a deep breath and half closed his eyes, eyebrows frowning for a moment.

There was only one idea in his mind, “Maybe not with our weapons…”

His eyes lit up wildly while his teeth crashed into each other.

He pushed forward, the only path he knew, forcing the ship to move towards the massive galra battlecruiser.

“Wait? Keith! What are you doing?”

 _Whatever I can,_ he thought to himself.

“Keith! NOO!” Matt’s voice sounded again. He turned it off. He turned all his communications off.

_Was he doing what had to be done?_

Allura’s voice was in his mind, speaking to him her famous _lecture_ tone.

 

_“The Marmora can go on without you. They have for thousands of years.”_

 

She was right.

But the blades weren’t the only ones that could go on without him. He was no longer needed. No longer a fundamental piece to form Voltron. They could go on without him.

_They would go on without him._

It had to be him. He could never let anyone else take that place. He had already seen enough people dying in front of him. Dying because of him. Dying to save him.

This was his war. His fight. He finally had people he wanted to protect more than anything else. He finally had a family, a home, a place to return to. And there was nothing in the universe that he would allow to take that away from him.

It was maths. One life to spare 6 other lives, many blades, dozens of rebels. By saving their lives, he could be saving everything they had managed to build, every tiny victory they had managed to win. He could keep hope in the hearts of those that never had it, as long as he kept the legend of Voltron alive.

But it wasn’t just maths.

It was six different faces with six different names that, in such a short amount of time, manage to give him more than he had ever had. Maybe it was selfish of him. He knew it was. He could almost hear Shiro's voice lecturing him.  and the thought made him speed up even if his heart was wavering.

He bit his own lips, forcing the thought that was making him think twice away. He speeded up even if his heart was wavering.

Keith was scared. He was just so scared.

Scared to the point where he just he couldn’t keep his eyes opened any longer.

He knew this was it. He knew this had to be done. So,

_Why was he finding it so hard to keep the controls from shaking?_

_Why did he want to pull back so badly?_

He wanted to say goodbye. He wanted to say thank you for everything they had done for him.

He wanted to thank Shiro for never giving up on him when everyone else did.

He wanted to thank Pidge for him helping him save Shiro after they defeated Zarkon.

He wanted to thank Allura for all the lectures he had hated so much.

He wanted to thank Hunk for all the delicious food had always made with a simple smile on his face.

He wanted to thank Lance for believing in him, for helping him lead and keep the team safe while Shiro had gone missing.

He really wanted to. But he knew that if he dared open the coms. If he dared listen to their voices, he just knew he would waver. He would want to stop. Turn back.

But Keith couldn’t stop. Not at the price of their lives.

His grip on the controls tightened again, his hands finally stopping their shaking.

He took a deep breath while keeping his eyes closed, letting the air enter in lungs softly. His mind went blank for a moment.

_Patience Yields Focus._

He could feel Pidge’s arms circle his neck while Allura pushed them both against his right side. Lance and Shiro were hugging him from behind and the opposite side, arms grabbing him tightly. Hunk filled the remaining spot, crying desperately in Shiro’s shoulder. Coran was further away, but he was still there, and Keith could feel his presence just as well and anyone else’s.

_This was the right thing to do._

He could never forget their smiling faces. How their mouths spread into wide grins while their eyes lit up like the stars in the dark sky. He could never forget their crying faces. How rivers of tears fell down their downcast eyes in a silent prayer for his safe return.

_This was the only thing he could do._

_And he would never regret his choice to save his family._  

The galra fighter crashed into the force field, creating a blast that spread in a soft cry across the universe. The ship was blown into pieces, static the only reply to the proud “Good work, Keith” that followed.

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a oneshoot but then I thought, _Why not add the reactions of the paladins?_  
>  I plan to add a bit of Coran's perspective too, probably in Allura's chapter.
> 
> Not getting myself into any update schedule, but I'll try to do it as soon as possible. (I also have my other fic going on so...) But since I don't plan to make these chapters much bigger, it won't take me long to write them (I hope)
> 
> Anyway, If you enjoyed it feel free to leave kudos or comment.  
> Thank you for reading.


End file.
